Ironman Los Cabos
| A few days before. Derek Garcia and I doing an open water swim. |
The logistics of Ironman Los Cabos aren't the easiest to get around since T1 & T2 are in different locations. Especially on race morning when there isn't parking for the swim. Thankfully Gillian and I were hosted the night before by the same home-stay as I had last year...Annie (my friend Clay's sister). Annie even woke up super early to drop us off right at the swim start.
I did my regular routine of getting the bike ready and then I got in a 10 minute warm up swim. I used my BlueSeventy sleeveless wetsuit because the ocean water was fairly warm and I didn't want to over heat. I know of a bunch of guys that did end up over heating and one pro even threw up because he was so overheated.
It was a long wait before they sent off the male pros but finally we were finally off. Thankfully the water was not that rough as it was the other days during our practice swim. I felt like I got out in a good position as I was following feet & bubbles. A third to a quarter way into the swim we were all stung out in a line and that line slowly separated as I drafted behind 3 guys in front of me. Halfway through the swim the pace felt like it really let up. I moved to the side to pull up and I did it with ease. The last half seemed to take a long time as I was sighting a lot to stay on course. The buoys were separated pretty far apart. With a few hundred yards to go I kicked it in. I ended up separating from the guys drafting off of me as I looked behind my shoulder I could see that there were 5 guys. I looked at the clock and saw 51:36 as I exited the water and ran towards shore. I was stoked to swim that fast! I have worked real hard the last 3 months on my swim with Gerry Rodriguez (Tower 26) and it was good to see the progress. Thank you Gerry and all the members of Tower 26 for pushing me in all of those workouts.
I had a quick transition and was on my bike in a top 10 position. I started rolling and felt great. I didn't feel that fatigued like I have in the past after the swim. Right around mile 12 I had to pull over because I had a rear flat. I quickly inflated my tire and spun it because there was some sealant in the tubular that I applied 6 month ago (sealant has a 2 yr life span) into this new tire. It wasn't holding as I could hear the "psssssss" and see/ feel the little hole. I should have had a tubular but I thought the sealant would be a good enough backup. I've had multiple flats while training and every tube/tire sealed. During this time Lindsey Corbin (woman's eventual winner) rolled by and gave me some encouragement saying "Hang in there, it's a long day"
I waited a few minutes and thankfully tech support wasn't far behind me. They stopped but they couldn't help because they didnt have tubulars. The next thing I know the tech support guys were just standing there. Then I asked them if they could call support. The one guy was like, "Oh yeah!" As he took his leisurely time to radio in. Then I asked the other guy, "Cuantos Minutos?" (How many minutes) Then he shrugged and pulled out his phone to make a call. A few more minutes rolled by and I asked "Cuantos minutos?" And they didn't say anything. Therefore I told them I'm going to try to keep riding. I rode another 5 minutes until it went flat again. I jumped off the bike and inflated another co2 in the tire and started rolling again. I rode another 8 minutes or so and then I saw a moped riding the other way. I waved them down and thankfully they had a spare tubular. I quickly changed the tubular myself as the support guys pumped up my tire. A total of three stops with more than 10 minutes along the side of the road. Lindsey Corbin passed me three times and I passed her three times!
| In the front. Courtesy of Triathlon.Competitor.com |
Later into the ride I rode up to Mike Shiffle and we legally worked together on the bike. I felt a little flat. Well that was the case because after the race the rear wheel tubular that I replaced was flat! It had to be another slow leak from the one I exchanged. The one guy behind me who was legally behind me for the fist 12 mile (before I got the flat) ended up splitting the fastest bike split of 4:35 and got off with Daniel Fontana. It certainly might have been a different story if I got off with the lead guys. Mentally having that flat was tough but I didn't want to give in or give up like some athletes could have.
| The spare tubular that barely got me into T2. This is one of many slices! |
Into T2 I had a quick transition into my USA flag shorts & Skechers GoRide shoes. I exited in 10th position feeling good! There were a lot of out and backs so I was able to see who was in front of me. The run was three loops and I was gaining on guys in front of me. It was HOT! Hotter than Kona last year. Thankfully I run well in the heat. Each lap I was moving up places. On the last lap I kind of stayed stagnant. Patrick Eveo was out in front of me a few minutes but I couldn't reel him back in. Instead of killing myself I decided to keep pushing strong but not kill myself. As I approached the finish-line, I knew I had one of the top run splits of the day. Right before I crossed the finish line I stopped and did the Blazeman roll in memory of my mother who passed away to ALS. I rolled across the finish line in a time of 2:54 high. Congrats to Skechers team mate Jim Lubinski for having the fastest run split of the day. Out splitting me by a mere 2 seconds...or a mere roll ;)
| courtesy of TriJuice.com |
| Blazeman roll in memory of my mother. Courtesy of Triathlon.Competitor.com |
I finished 6th overall. When I finished I felt a little disappointed because I had lost so much time to that flat. Without the flat, a podium was certainly in sight. Having sometime to reflect on everything, I am really happy with my fitness. I am not in top form and I performed really well. In the last month, I've only done two cycling workouts and two running workouts. I have gained all of my fitness through swimming with Tower26. Having great structured swim workouts throughout the weeks and months really helped my fitness. I'm really looking forward to the year as I feel like I am starting to put this big master puzzle of triathlon together. The journey would not be what it is without the support from many: Tower26 coaches & lane mates who always push me, my Sponsors, and my number one fan and supporter, Gillian.
The day after the race Gillian and I got to talk to Michael Phelps a little bit at the airport. It was certainly nice to meet him!
| Gillian and I certainly had some time to relax next to the pool & ocean! |